Abseiling Table Mountain

Table Mountain is undoubtedly one of the most popular attractions in Cape Town, if not South Africa. Whilst you are exploring the top, why not take the “plunge” and Abseil down the side of this natural wonder. We did, just check out our video below!

ABOUT TABLE MOUNTAIN

Table Mountain is always spectacular which is why it is one of the top tourist attractions in South Africa. It was voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World in 2011 and is home to the smallest, yet richest floral kingdom on Earth! The quickest and most convenient option is to take the cableway which has attracted over 24 million visitors since it opened!

The journey up takes about 5 minutes of spectacular beauty as the car floor rotates giving you 360-degree views of the city. It is important to note that you could spend a fair amount of time in the queues if you don’t opt for the priority access pass. The cable way doesn’t operate if the winds are strong, visibility is poor and any other conditions that are unfavourable, so always a good idea to check in advance.

Another option is to hike up or down Platteklip Gorge which is one of the most popular routes up the mountain. It is rather steep, but pretty straightforward and should take anywhere between 1 and 3 hours dependant on your fitness levels, unless you are Ryan Sandes or similar... There are other options which are trickier and should only be tackled by those who are fit and familiar with routes such as India Venster.

Regardless of how you choose to summit, you will experience stunning views of the city bowl, Robben Island, Table Bay and beyond. Hard to believe this mountains’ 3km distinct flat top was once at the bottom of a valley and was named Taboa do Cabo (Table of the Cape) by Antonio de Saldahna after he climbed up Platteklip Gorge in 1503.

A CAPE TOWN EXPERIENCE YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS!

Step off Table Mountain at 1067 metres above sea level and abseil 112m down the side of a sheer cliff. You will have Camps Bay, the Atlantic Seaboard and the deep blue ocean at your feet with the Twelve Apostles at your side. This experience is guaranteed to get your pulse racing and adrenalin pumping. After the abseil, there is a scenic 30 min hike, with amazing views, to get back to the top.

Included is all equipment and safety briefing.

ACTIVITY REVIEW.

We have had the Abseil on our radar for quite some time and was delighted when we were contacted by Wild Horizons Adventures who had taken over the management under the new name of Cape Town Abseil.

The abseil is an extreme adventure that is weather dependent. We had a couple of date changes due to the South Easter which was communicated in advance. The team were very good at staying in touch and keeping us informed to confirm a suitable date. We received the final confirmation of suitable conditions the day before.

D-Day was a beautiful no wind Cape Town day which set the scene for this epic Table Mountain experience. When we arrived at 10:00am, it seemed there were very many tourists and locals alike who decided to take advantage of the weather to go up the cable way. We had purchased our tickets in advance so proceeded directly to the cable car queue. We purchased regular tickets, but you could opt for priority access to avoid the queues. Load shedding does impact the load capacity of the cable car by nearly half so keep this in mind with your planning too. We didn’t realise this which resulted in a longer waiting time. The trip up was 5 minutes of breath-taking views of the city and mountain that we are lucky enough to call home!

Once we arrived at the top, we took a moment or five to absorb the spectacular views in every direction. The visibility meant we could see as far as Cape Point in the distance.

We then checked in at the abseil kiosk and met David, a specialist adventure guide. After some nervous introductions, we were fully briefed on the experience and multiple safety measures that are taken to ensure a safe adventure of a lifetime.

A couple of adventure seekers were before us so we watched them safely glide down the mountain before it was our turn. It is important to note a little caveat at this stage, we did not do the abseil ourselves due to our debilitating vertigo / fear of heights, and appointed a company representative to take the leap on our behalf. He was nervous but absolutely eager to go!

After being kitted out in a harness, helmet and GOPRO, we were led to the abseil zone. To get here, you need to climb over the barrier which stops visitors from venturing to close to the vertical drops ahead. Once over, you make your way to the jump mats where you are met by two guides ready to assist you. From our "nowhere near the edge vantage" we marvelled at how comfortable these guides were, literally standing on the abyss for most of the day. Talk about having guts!

The time arrived and they were ready to get going. We were strapped into the rope which we would be abseiling with, kitted out with a helmet, gloves and of course our trusty GOPRO. As an additional safety measure, the lines are fed through the guides who assist in controlling your decent down the sheer drop. We were joined by David on our way down in order for us to get additional epic images of our Table Mountain Abseil.

On the way down, he encourages us to do a couple of leaps by pushing off from the mountain with your feet, almost like you are swinging a 1000 meters above sea level. Easy right … Actually, exactly like you are swinging 1000 meters above the ground! We…, I mean our representative, decided this sounds like fun and promptly takes a couple of leaps. Did we mention he took camera equipment along to get some pics!! This can only be done when the guides get you “locked off”  from the top so you can safely hang whilst getting some rad images.

About half down, surprise!! The cliff wall disappears and you are literally just hanging in the air for yet another adrenalin spike!!. The guides assist in lowering you down to the trails below. Here, you are handed over to the care of another guide, who assists in taking your gear off and guiding you back to the starting point via the India Venster trail which takes around 25 minutes.

This is a once in a lifetime bucket list experience and should be on your radar. We rate this experience as follows:

Location: 5 Stars. The setting on top of Table Mountain is by far one of the most magnificent activity locations around.

Value: 5 Stars. The cost of this experience is R850 per person. This is inline and actually even better priced than similar adrenaline experiences. Considering the safety protocols involved, we felt this is worth every cent. Of course, you do have to take into account the cost to get to the top of the mountain. However, most visitors will be planning a trip to the top of the mountain and as such it is a good idea to combine the experiences.

Safety: 5 Stars. The guides were friendly personable and made us feel absolutely safe at all times. It is evident throughout that all safety measures are taken.

Hosts: 5 Stars. The guides were friendly, welcoming and as per the above, went out of their way to make you feel comfortable.

Overall Experience: 5 Stars. In one word, Spectacular!

Important Information

• Activity Cost: R850 per person
• Aerial Cable Way Ticket Cost. From R400 to R1000 per person depending on which ticket is booked.
• Duration. The abseil and hike back to the top takes approximately an hour.  
• Bookings are available online and in real-time!

A few last things to mention:

• This activity is an epic bucket list experience for everyone who has a healthy fear of heights. If you want to lie down on the floor in the cable car, no names mentioned ;0, then this is not for you.
• You normally abseil down by yourselves but a guide can be requested.